chalk

Etymology

From Middle English chalk, chalke, from Old English ċealc, from Proto-West Germanic *kalk, borrowed from Latin calx (“limestone”), again borrowed from Ancient Greek χάλιξ (khálix, “pebble”). Doublet of calx and cauk.

noun

1. (uncountable) A soft, white, powdery limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO₃).
   chalk cliffs are not recommended for climbing
2. (countable) A piece of chalk, or nowadays processed compressed gypsum (calcium sulfate, CaSO4), that is used for drawing and for writing on a blackboard (chalkboard).
   the chalk used to write on the blackboard makes a squeaky sound
3. Tailor's chalk.
4. (uncountable, climbing, gymnastics) A white powdery substance used to prevent hands slipping from holds when climbing, or losing grip in weight-lifting or gymnastics, sometimes but not always limestone-chalk, often magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃).
   when working out your next move, it's a good idea to get some more chalk from the bag
5. (US, military, countable) A platoon-sized group of airborne soldiers.
6. (US, sports, chiefly basketball, horseracing) The favorite in a sporting event.
7. (US, sports, chiefly basketball) The prediction that there will be no upsets, and the favored competitor will win.
   OK, let's get rid of the chalk players right away. The chalk likes North Carolina. Dean Smith has taken Carolina to the Final Four six times. March 22 1982, Phil Musick, “And the pick here is - Georgetown over Houston”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, page 13
   Excuse us for sticking with the chalk, but the predicted winners are Afternoon Deelites in the Derby, Oliver McCall over Larry Holmes, Nick Faldo in the Masters, and Al Unser Jr. in the Grand Prix. April 6 1995, “Notes on a Scorecard”, in Los Angeles Times, page C3
   Instead, he played the chalk and selected the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. March 24 2008, Jason Bauman, “Non-news of the week: Obama picks North Carolina”, in Beacon-News, Aurora, Illinois

verb

1. To apply chalk to anything, such as the tip of a billiard cue.
   chalk your hands before climbing
   After a leg stretch, we set off again at 11:30 hours in charge of U.S.A. No. 1736 (Miss Ohio had been chalked on her), a 2-8-0 utility engine. 1944 January and February, Major J. C. F. Lloyd Williamson, “Ambulance Trains in Algeria and Tunisia”, in Railway Magazine, page 6
2. To record something, as on a blackboard, using chalk.
3. To use powdered chalk to mark the lines on a playing field.
4. (figurative) To record a score or event, as if on a chalkboard.
5. To manure (land) with chalk.
   I then chalked the land at an expense of 4l. per acre, and planted potatoes, about ten bushels to the acre […] 1821, Royal Society of Arts (Great Britain), Transactions, volume 39, page 11
6. To make white, as if with chalk; to make pale; to bleach.